To Ship or Not to Ship, A GM's Conundrum

[Sir Brad]

Ok for years now I've bean running a periodic campaign for a ship-less solo traveller, the character has bean living a little better than hand to mouth for many game years trying to save for their own ship, the character is carrying around Millions in various Currencies, Negotiable Bonds and Precious Stones they have around 25-30% the total price of a Type-S or some other 100 ton Scout.

last game played at the start of this year the character was called up to do a job for their old service, in the process they crashed around 30MCr worth of Assault Boat to save the day, they then liberated a scout craft that no longer has a legal owner (unless you count the totalitarians that staged a coupe when a neutral goverment tried to transition to friendly) to get their boat crew and passengers back up the well to a waiting fleet for Evac, Navy doesn't have a prize crew on station for the scout or hold space to bring it as cargo, as we left things the fleet was burning to jump point, the options where to dump the scout in to a passing asteroid, set the autopilot to return it to it's home world and go for a terminal re-entry, or give the PC a copy of the jump destination and meet up at the rally point.

thing is should I give the PC the ship, make them give it up as a penalty for crashing the Assault Boat or just abandon it.

ATM I've got good control over the characters travels without making it look like I'm running a railroad, if I give them the ship the sand box becomes more free-form and gets limited to J-2, also one of the players main goals has bean a ship thus eliminating a pull and the player ends up with a large pool of disposable cash (give up Travelling big) thus killing an other pull, the campaign has other pulls, but they may not be big enough to keep things going without the two big ones.

So give them a ship or stay the course?

 

[rancke]

So give them a ship or stay the course?

Ask your players what they'd prefer. Player motives are to do with having a good time playing, and so may or may not correspond to character motives. The journey versus the destination sort of thing.

But don't, and I really, really mean this, DON'T take away a big prize arbitrarily without explaing to your players why you do it.

If you don't think you can handle a campaign where the PCs have a ship (or if you think you won't have any fun doing it), just tell them that.


Hans

 

[McPerth]

If your concern is to have them with a ship and too much money, make them spend the money to keep the ship (registration, codes changing, repairs...)

 

[Reban]

You could have the nearest Admiral convene a Prize Court, to determine the value of the Scout since you mentioned the Navy considering putting a prize crew on it.

Once you decide the value, your players have the option of paying that amount for it, or not, depending on what they want to do.

Depending on circumstances the PCs may or may not be liable for the cost of the Assault Boat. If they really had no other option and the mission was a success then the navy could write it off. On the other hand if the Scout turns out to be cheap*, the price of the Assault Boat might get added on top.

I agree with Rancke; ask your players. And I agree with McPerth; as Ref, if you think your players are too cash rich, make up a way to take it off them

(Heh... Referees and Tax-collectors are in the same bracket )


* Actually you could game the prize court and let the PCs try to influence the Admiral as to the value of the Ship.

 

[Sir Brad]

part of the magic of this campaign apart from the character and the ability to pick it up and drop it at will is it's the first long term campaign without a ship as it's centerpiece in like forever (since before Y2k at least), I don't want to lose that without replacing it with something of equal value, the format hasn't tiered yet but it may (or may not) soon if we have a long run of this "Season" of the campaign.

 

[atpollard]

Someone may have a legal claim on the ship (Navy for damages, Junta Government, Government in Exile) ... Making its ultimate disposition a Diplomatic knot to unravel that will take years to settle.
So the Character may be entitled to a 'Salvage Reward' of 10% or 15% of the current value of the Scout.

[I am a little surprised that the Navy can't spare a 'Prize Crew' of 1 to recover the Scout ... but let the Navy hire the character to deliver the prize for a 10% reward.]
MCr 10 for the recovery of a MCr 100 ship is not nothing (the player has not been cheated) and the campaign can continue with its Big Pulls.

 

[Sir Brad]

Player is a former Marine (well their nations equivalent to) with a Boat Qualification (when in the service they where a better Grunt than Boat Pilot, now equally as good at either), since leaving under less than amiable circumstances (since resolved) they have bean drafted back in to do missions from time to time, they even made them an Officer/Commissioned Specialist (was an E3 now an O0), at this time they are back under commission (as an Auxiliary) and in uniform reviving normal Pay & Allowances.

the mission was a neutral government that for a number of decades has bean reviving aid in the form of technological, economic and military boot-strapping was about to transition to Friendly with an eye to client state status, the Militant Wing of a Ultra-Nationalist Party (with aggressive expansionist goals) may attempt to stage a Coup/Revaluation should should friendly elements gain the majority in the ruling Assembly, should this happen special operations teams will be landed to secure and extricate persons of influence within the existing power structure and advisers from the characters nation , disable infrastructure (particularity military infrastructure) and to liberate military shipping leased to the current government.

Navy brought lots of Prize Crews and striped the fleet down to skeleton to crew the ships they were taking. things got a bit interesting when the the defense net was taken by the Coup forces sooner than expected, lots of sub 5KT ships where caught under the net at the navies downs when it went up, the player had to crash their assault boat in to the defense net C&C and set the drives to overload to bring down the defense net so the grounded fleet could escape, the player liberated a ship not on the official list to make their escape. the escaping fleet is already critically under crewed, only spare pilot is the PC with their cascade from Ships Boat-2 or their Pilot-0 skill.

 

[Ulsyus]

Ask your players what they'd prefer. Player motives are to do with having a good time playing, and so may or may not correspond to character motives. The journey versus the destination sort of thing.

I agree with Hans on this.

Another option is to have the vessel seized by the Navy but a finder's fee given to the PC (minus the cost of the assault boat) that adds to his kitty. Would that be enough to enable him to purchase his own ship?

Another alternative could be for him to use his savings, plus the value of the Type S, to purchase another vessel altogether (assuming the assault boat is written off in the Board of Inquiry as an inevitable outcome for which the PC is not ultimately held responsible. Maybe.)

 

[robject]

I agree with Hans on this.

I agree with Hans and Ulsyus on this.

Ask the player if he wants the Scout or not. Work together with him.

Tell him he can have the ship but not have to use it, if that helps defer painful decision-making. The ship doesn't have to be the new focus for the campaign. It can just be there if or when needed, sitting in a long-term storage yard or parked on a distant, uncharted planetoid, or whatever.

 

[flykiller]

dude. don't restrict the players to fit your adventures, expand your adventures to fit the players. no amount of ship and no amount of money can match what they might routinely encounter in their travels. this is an opportunity, rise to the occasion, bring the game to a whole new level!

 

[kilemall]

If I were an admiral overseeing this operation, I would be pleased as punch about getting what is likely a billion credit plus set of ships back for the measly cost of one 30 MCr small craft, and be inclined to commend the character for problem solving and saving lives and honor in the finest tradition, etc. etc.

I believe the ship would be considered a spoil of war/prize of the capturing navy, but might be bartered back diplomatically as a salve to resumption of relations if the ultranationalists in turn get countercouped which could happen since the spec op disabled part of their systems and especially if the explosion took out key leadership.

The ultranationalists are going to take SPECIAL notice of the character after this, should be adventures along those lines.

If the ultranationalists don't get overthrown, I would expect prize court and sold at auction- player could then get some of the prize money and put it towards his bid.

Alternatively, since it is already designed and run by a potentially hostile power, the friendly navy could hold onto it for false flag special ops and assign it to him as a surprise.

In either case, however the ship AND the character get together, they would be a symbolic prize the ultranationalists need to capture/destroy badly for morale and proof of competence.

Since the Service screwed him over before, you could have a situation where a morally bankrupt officer/bureaucrat/justice type charges the character for the craft loss according to this little liable for unnecessary losses clause in his contract, and either swindles him out of his prize money or he gets the ship but loses some of the millions for his 'error'.

 

[Condottiere]

Prize courts can take years, and if the claim looks good, there are some kind people willing to loan the crew adequate loans based on expectations, at a healthy interest.

 

[mike wightman]

One of my favourite ever campaign had the players travelling Dumarest style from world to world during the long night by any means possible (working passage - paying passenger - kidnap - stowaways - patron supplied transport).

Once they managed to get their own ship by taking it from the pirates that had attacked the trader they were on. They used it for a couple of games and then sold it because they preferred the old life they had... let me add to the list of people who have said to ask the player.

 

[Sifu Blackirish]

Since the Service screwed him over before, you could have a situation where a morally bankrupt officer/bureaucrat/justice type charges the character for the craft loss according to this little liable for unnecessary losses clause in his contract, and either swindles him out of his prize money or he gets the ship but loses some of the millions for his 'error'.

Sort of what i was thinking. since it is always a good idea to keep the players hungry, arrange for them to get the ship legally, just make sure it has a few 'quirks' that can be fixed. at the same time, have a naval court of inquiry find them liable for loss of the other craft and he loses almost all of his money. that might keep them insystem for repairs while the nationalists plan their revenge...

 

[Sir Brad]

Character is up for a DFC (equivalent), Special Forces Commendation Bar, Campaign Ribbon (even though they haven't done the 90 days) with a Command Pip. Oho! and a Promotion.

I know Campaigns must grow and evolve, at this point I'm not sure that a ship is the right move, but this is an easy out for me ATM and if in the near future it dose become right it may come across a bit forced to just drop a ship opportunity in the characters lap.


lose a (badly shot up) 30MCr Assault Boat (with several hundred or thousand flight hours on it), come back with 30MCr worth of near new scout ship that you weren't meant to. Normal day at the Office for some Travellers, some other Travellers would just fly off and let SOCom keep their gear if they could keep the ship, but not this character they are the honest, Law-abiding, Dutiful type (who has since got righteous with the service after their little indecision that saw them part ways originally).

 

[whartung]

lose a (badly shot up) 30MCr Assault Boat (with several hundred or thousand flight hours on it), come back with 30MCr worth of near new scout ship that you weren't meant to. Normal day at the Office for some Travellers, some other Travellers would just fly off and let SOCom keep their gear if they could keep the ship, but not this character they are the honest, Law-abiding, Dutiful type (who has since got righteous with the service after their little indecision that saw them part ways originally).

"So, there we were, shiny new Scout ship, burning retro to make orbit in Regina, when BAM…blew a fan belt. One minute, Shiny Scout Ship, next minute, Meteor SS Freebooty as it burned up and plunged in to the sea. We barely got out alive."

Easy come, easy go.

 

[Leitz]

Add me to the "ask the player" team. When a DM arbitrarily takes away something big like that it's the end of the game for me. Don't even make it a problem for him to have; see if everyone wants to go where the game is now open to.

If not, have the player come up with some ideas for what happens to the ship. Remember, this is mutual story-telling.

 

[Sir Brad]

The Player is of two minds about this from how they have bean talking, they would like a ship but are not sure how this will effect the game dynamic, and have said they are not ready to be tied down to a J-2 lifestyle, they want to keep the game a solo (except when they have "Guest " characters) so that kind of precludes me trying to set them up with a Dispatch Courier, Corvette or something that requires even a small crew.

 

[Leitz]

Maybe the character keeps the ship for a little bit and then finds some person or cause that needs it more than they do? A missionary family heading out to the deep black, a friend who needs to escape the planet quickly, or a struggling but decent planetary government that needs to at least patrol it's own system.

Let the character have their cake and eat it to. Since they've been basically good during the game, let them be exemplary.

 

[Mako]

Yep, lots of good options here.

I'd say let them have it, eventually.

As mentioned, prize courts can take a while to work things out.

Then, once they get it, they get to learn about the joys of spacecraft ownership, which is very similar to boat ownership, in terms of costs to run, maintenance, docking fees, etc., etc.. The old quote is something likes "a boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into".

So, perhaps they get the occasional use from it, but also a lot of trials and tribulations as well. That way, they may have to still hitch rides on commercial transport, or to charter a flight here and there, when they an afford that, while their courier is being repaired.

And, or course, reports of this will get back to their enemies, who'll come looking for the courier, and to settle the score, eventually as well.